Are diamonds anyone's best friend? Disneyland launches its spectacular Diamond anniversary with a 24-hour party at the parks which was by turns fun, chaotic, thilling and frustrating to the tens of thousands of guests who descended on the Anaheim resort on May 22. Team Mousetalgia welcomes Beci Mahnken, owner of Mouse Fan Travel, to the show to report on her experiences at the media preview, the 24 hour party, and the grand opening of Disneyland's new 60th anniversary nighttime spectaculars, including World of Color - Celebrate!, the Paint the Night parade, and Disneyland Forever, the new fireworks show that combines projections, fireworks, and special effects throughout the park to create a show that can be viewed from multiple locations (...or can it?) We also debate Disneyland's wisdom in creating predictable mass confusion with an event guaranteed to draw more people to the resort than the parks could contain. Is the result clever marketing, a tarnished reputation - or both? Also, we revisit Tomorrowland and wonder what the financial misfire of Brad Bird's latest film means for the future of Plus Ultra and the Optimists. Will the film find its audience - if there's an audience to be found? Plus - practical tips for visiting the park this summer, Harold's back (and he's ticked!) - and more!

Mousetalgia visits Storybrooke this week as Jeff goes to RegalCon, a convention for fans of ABC's "Once Upon a Time." We compare this convention with other Disney fan cons, discuss the seminars and offerings, and hear "Once" celebrities Lee Arenberg, Gil McKinney and Beverly Elliott talk about what the fandom means to each of them personally. Then, Team Mousetalgia reports from Disneyland's Tinker Bell Half Marathon weekend, and we discuss the kids' races and the runDisney Expo and hear from Tinker Bell animation reference model Margaret Kerry in person. Finally, we talk about some recent dining experiences at Disneyland, including the recently re-opened Smokejumpers Grill, breakfast and dinner at Disneyland Hotel's Steakhouse 55 (and we ask if bad service negates good food?), and a closer look at the special effects inside of Club 33's Le Salon Nouveau. Plus - Disneyland's 60th anniversary begins!

Mousetalgia Matterhorn t-shirts are now on sale at www.mousetalgiastore.com!

Team Mousetalgia takes you to the blue carpet and the world premiere of Tomorrowland in this week's episode! Join Jeff and Dave as they watch the celebrities descend on Downtown Disney's AMC multiplex to watch Brad Bird's fascinating new movie and report on the goings on. Jeff joins D23 to attend the private after-party in Disneyland's Tomorrowland, and Dave joins in to report from a Lucasfilm screening of the film days later, and we offer our initial spoiler-free impressions of the film. Also, we talk Avengers, and offer some thoughts about the latest installment in the Marvel cinematic pantheon. Next: the Haunted Mansion welcomes back the Hat Box Ghost after nearly 46 years, and we offer our thoughts and responses to the new character, brought back to life with a little digital pixie (or is that mummy?) dust. Plus - the Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet announces the special guests for this year's event, the D23 Expo starts spilling secrets - and more!

Heigh ho - it's time for Mousetalgia to dig, dig, dig into the mailbag! Topics include: tips for traveling with a child; what to expect from 24-hour day and Disneyland's 60th anniversary launch; picky eaters vs. Disneyland's restaurants; Disney-style wedding vows; traveling to Disneyland and dining with a large group; DCA's Frozen stage show; tips for attending the Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet; starting a Disney record collection; wait time apps - pros and cons; planning Disney date nights; tips for visiting Disneyland while pregnant; and buying Walt Disney's autograph. Also, Team Mousetalgia contemplates the next drugstore-exclusive Disney-licensed makeup line. Which character should it be based on? We discuss! Plus listener reports on Wednesdays with Walt, Avengers at El Capitan, and Star Wars Day at Disneyland - plus more!

Team Mousetalgia talks Star Wars on this special stellar-sized May 4th episode as we recount the highlights of a weekend of galactic adventure at the recent Star Wars Celebration convention held April 16-19 at the Anaheim Convention Center. From JJ Abrams and his stunning new teaser trailer to Princess Leia making out with a fan onstage in the Celebration Arena, we cover the moments and events from the weekend that we found to be most profound, striking, or strange. Cosplay, photo-ops, autographs, and panels - we cover it all, and try to describe the event for Star Wars fans that may not have made it out to Anaheim in person. Grab a glass of blue milk, get comfy in your Tauntaun-skin snuggie, and celebrate everything Star Wars with us!

In this special episode recorded live from Star Wars Celebration Anaheim on April 17, 2015, Mousetalgia welcomes writer/director/puppeteer/creature artist Kirk Thatcher to the show to talk about his work for ILM on Return of the Jedi creating creatures and aliens, and then bringing them to life for the film. Television producer Joseph Freed also joins our roundtable to discuss living la vida Star Wars as we share memories, stories, and opinions about Star Wars past, present and future, including the newly-released teaser trailer for "The Force Awakens." Join us at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim for this very special episode of Mousetalgia!

Mousetalgia continues our own 24/7 Newsies cycle with another Newsies-inspired episode today as we welcome session musician Derek Young to the show to talk about his experience as the "unsung Newsie" from the original Disney film, released 23 years ago. Derek talks about working with composer Alan Menken and arranger Danny Troob on the soundtrack album, for which he was hired to dub a line for one of the film's big stars, and continued to contribute to the whole soundtrack. Learn what it was like behind the scenes during the making of Disney's unlikeliest musical hit. Also, the team discusses the latest Haunted Mansion news, including the possibility of Guillermo del Toro's reboot of the Haunted Mansion for the big screen with actor/musician Ryan Gosling, and the reappearance of the most talked about resident of the Haunted Mansion - the Hat Box Ghost. Plus: the Art of Ralph McQuarrie; Disney and Dali; and tickets go on sale for the Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet. Get yours today at www.pnwmousemeet.com.

Join Team Mousetalgia as we take a look back at the release of star wars in 1977 with Lucasfilm's director of fan relations at the time, Craig Miller. Miller takes us for a look inside the inner workings of Lucasfilm as Star Wars was released, which caught everyone by surprise with its overwhelming success. Miller talks about starting the official Star Wars Fan Club, George Lucas's early plans for a 12-part saga, and operating Artoo's head for various Lucasfilm productions. Then, voice actor Stephen Stanton (Star Wars Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) discusses his time in that galaxy far, far away portraying dozens of characters for the Star Wars universe, including both Ben Kenobi and General Tarkin. Stanton discusses the arc of his character Tarkin and his conjecture about Tarkin's unknown history, talks about visiting Disney parks with first-time guests, and discusses some of his other Disney voices in films and attractions, such as Lord Henry Mystic from Hong Kong Disneyland's Mystic Manor and Alfred the Vulture in Club 33. Plus, we discuss the future of Innoventions at Disneyland - and more. Also - don't forget to tune in to www.mousetalgialive.com this Friday at 6:00 pm to hear our live show direct from the Star Wars Celebration convention in Anaheim!

Mousetalgia welcomes Barbara Burnett Brock to the show to talk about her incredible career as a tour guide at Disneyland. Enjoy stories about touring with Ozzy Osbourne, Stephen King and Michael Jackson, and learn about the grand opening of Star Tours and Liz Taylor's amazing 60th birthday fête, which Barbara helped manage. As Kristen notes, it's really all about that tour guide outfit - and we discuss that as well. Also, Jeff reports on Kay Kamen and how he made Mickey Mouse into a merchandise star in the midst of the Great Depression. Plus - Jeff meets Bird, Kristen talks babies, Becky gets Fancy, and Dave talks Toy Story 4. Special note: If you'll be at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim on Friday, April 17, you can meet Mousetalgia and hear us podcast live at 6:00 p.m. on the podcast stage! If you can't be there, listen along at mousetalgialive.com.

Mousetalgia visited the Walt Disney Company Annual Shareholder meeting at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on March 12, and Jeff reports on the experience. From sneak peeks at upcoming films to an open mic for shareholders to speak to CEO Bob Iger directly, we cover all the bases and describe the interesting experience of hearing the company's leaders speak about the future of the Walt Disney Company. Then, we return to San Francisco to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum and learn about "Animation Basics: Music," from Disney producer Dave Bossert, music historian John Burlingame, and Disney composer Mark Waters. Learn about "Tunes behind the Toons," a new documentary which covers the music in animation from silent films through current animation features - and more.